The FDA says that the dangerous substance known as the heroine service station raises an important risk for young people
The Head of the United States Drug and Food Administration (FDA) sounds the alarm of a dangerous drug called “heroin of the service station”, which can cause serious damage, including death.
The FDA Commissioner, Martin A. Makary, sent a letter to his colleagues last week to attract his attention to what he called a “dangerous and growing health trend” in front of the nation and the young. Makary said there is an increasing number of adverse events that involve products that contain tianeptin.
The aunt, often called “heroin of the service station”, is sold in service stations through a variety of products, although the FDA did not approve the medication.
“I’m very worried,” Makary wrote. “I want the public to be especially aware of this dangerous product and the serious and continuous risk it represents for the youth of the United States.”
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The “supplement” commonly passes through Zaza or Tianna Red brands. (Dekalb County Sheriff Office)
The products are generally sold in convenience stores, service stations, vape stores and online retailers, and go by names such as Tianaa, Zaza, Neptune’s Fix, Pegasus and TD Red.
Makary said that the FDA is following the distribution and sale of products that contain aunt, but asked their colleagues to disseminate information about the medication while appreciating the magnitude of their underlying danger.
Tianeptin has a license and marketed in some countries as an atypical antidepressant, and in countries where it is approved, the typical dose labeled to treat depression is 12.5 mg orally, three times per day, Makary said.
When taller doses are taken, they can produce euphoria. Some countries have taken measures to restrict how aunt are prescribed or dispensed and have even reviewed labels to warn people about their possible addiction.
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The FDA warns about the dangers of Tianeptin. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly/File Photo)
However, in the United States, Tianeptin does not appear as part of the Law on Controlled Substances.
The drug is often taken recreationally, although if it stops abruptly, users could experience withdrawal symptoms similar to those associated with opioid abstinence: anxiety, sweating, diarrhea and more.
If tianeptin is ingested, Makary wrote, adverse events could include agitation, coma, confusion, death, drowsiness, hypertension, nausea, respiratory depression, sweating, tachycardia and vomiting.
Two years ago, New Jersey health officials warned that two products sold as dietary supplements in service stations, Elixir de Neptuno and Zaza Red, had caused an increase in diseases.
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New Jersey health officials raised concerns in 2023 about the Neptune Elixir Fix, a product containing Aunt, after a group of diseases in relation to the product was reported. (Office of Regulatory Affairs of the FDA, branch of health fraud)
Between June and November 2023, there were 20 reported cases of thianeptin that caused “serious clinical effects” in New Jersey, as noted on an alert of February 1 of the disease control and prevention centers of the United States (CDC).
In 2023, the FDA published a warning of alertness of the dangers of the Neptune solution or any other product containing the aunt.
“The FDA has received reports from severe adverse events after the use of Neptune fixing products, including seizures and loss of consciousness that lead to hospitalization,” said the agency.
“The FDA considers that the aunt is a substance that does not meet the legal definition of a dietary ingredient and is an insecure food additive. The FDA is aware of several reports of serious adverse events associated with the aunt.”
On January 28, 2024, Neptuno Resources, LLC, the manufacturer of Neptuno’s Fix, issued a voluntary retreat from its products due to the presence of Tianeptin, but experts warn that other products can also contain the medication.
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Any person who is using a thianeptin or a product containing thianeptin and is experiencing withdrawal symptoms can call the National Center for Poisoning Control at 1-800-222-1222 or seeking emergency medical assistance, experts advised.
Melissa Rudy of News Digital contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a News Digital news reporter.
The advice and ideas of history can be sent to Greg.wehner@News.com and on Twitter @Gregwehner.